John Travis

All Stories by John Travis

  1. Humans

    Motor City hosts top science fair winners

    The 2000 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair winners were announced in Detroit.

  2. Placental Puzzle

    Do captured viral genes make human pregnancies possible?

  3. Outmuscled: Muscles, not nerve cells, fail in old worms

    In aging worms, the nervous system stays intact but muscles don't.

  4. Disabled genes dull sense of smell

    Mutated genes may explain why humans have a poor sense of smell.

  5. Genes, genes, and more genes

    Scientists have almost finished sequencing the genes of rice and of a man.

  6. Plants

    New gene-altering strategy tested on corn

    Scientists have created herbicide-resistant corn with a new kind of genetic engineering that involves subtly altering one of the plant's own genes rather than adding a new gene.

  7. Long live the Y?

    Researchers have identified a means by which the Y chromosome may forestall, or at least delay, the gradual degradation that some biologists argue will ultimately delete it from the human genome.

  8. Bacterial diet quiets worm genes

    Genetically engineered bacteria help biologists turn off worm genes.

  9. Sea squirt’s DNA makes a splash

    The DNA sequence of a sea squirt may reveal the origins of vertebrates.

  10. Plants

    Drought-tolerant plant mined for survival genes

    A drought-resistant South African plant is revealing its genetic secrets.

  11. Humans

    Nobel prizes honor innovative approaches

    The 2002 Nobel prizes pay tribute to an international sampling of scientists who developed powerful new techniques for expanding the horizons of research.

  12. Cloning extends life of cells—and cows?

    A study of cloned cows provides reassurance that cloned animals won't die prematurely and may even live extra-long.